is blogging still a thing?

say it ain’t so, leo

Leo Laporte is reporting that G4, the new owner of TechTV, gave everyone in San Francisco their walking papers. Between you, me and the fishes this has got to be one of the most inane decisions in media since Fox cancelled Firefly. I’m far from the target demographic for the shows but I have no problems whatsoever letting The Screen Savers play in the background while I work or flit around in whatever todays game du jour is.

Yes, yes, I realize that shows like TSS or TechLive have about as much replay ability as the last 10 minutes of CNN but they are still well done shows. If scheduled properly there’s no reason you can’t get 5 or 6 viable showings per each TSS episode in a 2-week period without sacrificing timeliness. Shows like Call For Help should last 2 or 3 times that before they lose their relevancy.

I direct your attention to this FAQ on the G4 site which pretty much spells out what the future holds. San Fran is kaput, anyone not willing to work in LA (assuming they’re even offered the chance) is boned. The only two TechTV shows listed in their proposed lineup are X-Play, TSS and Fresh Gear. Anyone have the odds on Fresh Gear becoming the on-air propaganda wing for worthless shit like the N-Gage or Phantom? No mention of some of TTV’s more off-beat titles like Big Thinkers or Nerd Nation.

Oh well, I guess some things have to be culled when you’re desperate to give showslikethis to desperate and apparently net-retarded viewers what they “want”.

To the cast and crew of the various TechTV shows I’ve fancied over the last couple years – thanks.
I hope you land on your feet.